


Come Back When You Can

by kdjslvgds



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Except Erica didn't die because fuck you Jeff, F/M, Season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2013-09-09
Packaged: 2017-12-26 02:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/960555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kdjslvgds/pseuds/kdjslvgds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erica wakes up with a gasp. Coughing and hacking while she rushes to run her hands over her body. Wounds, she knows there were wounds, big gaping slashes from long alpha claws and freaking <i>toenails</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come Back When You Can

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this graphic of mine](http://callmestiletto.tumblr.com/post/47180812515) which is inspired by [this song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBNiqPCF1i0).

Erica wakes up with a gasp. Coughing and hacking while she rushes to run her hands over her body. Wounds, she knows there were wounds, big gaping slashes from long alpha claws and freaking _toenails_. 

“You’re probably going to have scars. I know you expected everything to heal when you were a werewolf, I know that I said that it would be like that.” The voice breaks through her desperate review of her own flesh. 

It’s Derek. Alpha Derek, _her_ Alpha. Until she ran away from him with... 

“Boyd.” She says his name with a half choked down yell, moving to jump to her feet and stumbling. Derek goes to catch her and steady her but she pushes him away. The look on his face is shattered, broken, she can’t bear to look at it. “Where’s Boyd. Tell me he’s-”

“He’s alright. He’s alive.” Derek is staring at the floor, holding himself away from her. She looks around, paying attention to her surroundings for the first time since she woke up. 

“This… is the vet’s office? Deaton? What are we doing here. What’s going on.” Erica mumbles while rubbing her hands against her scars, supernatural fucking scars. That she shouldn’t even have. “Dead. I was dead? I was DEAD, Derek. What’s going on!” 

Derek flinches, looks away from her. “Deaton knows. He knows about a lot of things, hell, he probably knows more than I do. He was involved with my family...before...before everything.” Erica looks away, looks down at her hands flexing her claws out and in. 

“What about me.” She whispers, “I was with Boyd in the bank vault. I couldn’t take it anymore, I knew they were just waiting to use us against you or torture us or kill us. I couldn’t let that happen to Boyd. I attacked Kali….” 

Sighing Derek met her eye, “Allison found your- she found you. I brought you to Deaton. He- we did something. I couldn’t just- leave things. I couldn’t. I was never supposed to be an alpha, Erica. It was never supposed to be me. Everything I’ve done has been a mistake.”

“I wasn’t a mistake, Derek.” Erica said firmly, holding his gaze. “Yes. Shit’s been terrible. But I don’t regret it, it was worth it to feel like this, to feel... powerful.”

\---

Healing is slow. Physically that is, Erica doesn’t think she’s going to heal mentally for a while. Each moment is a reminder, of being captured, of being hurt, killed. She was killed. And she can’t just move on, Beacon Hills is leaving her paralyzed with fear. 

The only positive thing she can focus on is Boyd. Boyd is alive, Boyd survived. Derek tells her about the bank vault, about his _sister_ Cora, his sister who is alive. About Boyd and Cora being practically feral, about them practically tearing him apart. She doesn’t know how to feel, about Cora, about the time that Boyd spent without her in the vault. 

Erica holes herself up in the train depot Derek used to squat in. Self controlled isolation in something familiar at least. The alphas know about Derek’s old house, they know about Derek’s new loft, she isn’t going home, there’s no way she’s going to involve her parents anymore than she already has just by existing. 

So she hides, and she heals, and she plans. 

The one thing she knows is that she has to get out of Beacon Hills.

\---

Boyd comes to the depot after he heals from the full moon. Their reunion is spent desperately clinging to each other in the corner of an abandoned train cart. Erica pours all her strength into grasping Boyd, holding onto to something safe, someone she loves and missed fiercely. Boyd runs his hands lightly over the scars that remain from what had been her final run in with Kali. 

“I can’t stay here,” Erica whispers, “I can’t stay here and wait for them to kill me again. I’ve already died, Boyd, I died. I’m seventeen years old and I’ve already died.” 

“I know.” Boyd says quietly, his grip strong on her body, holding her tight against him. “I know. I lost you but you’re back. You’re back.”

“I have to leave. I have to. I have cousins that live in San Francisco. You should come with me.” She says, “we can go away, to somewhere safer, we can live.”

\---

Derek comes to the depot a couple days later. Erica and Boyd are sitting so close together they seem to be trying to occupy the same space. 

“I’m going to leave, Derek. I’ve got to get out of Beacon Hills.” Erica says, not looking at him. She tightens her grip on Boyd’s hand. 

Derek stiffens but replies sharply, “Good. You should.” Erica looks up quickly, while she didn’t want to just abandon everyone by leaving, she didn’t expect anyone to agree so quickly. Not with everyone in danger with the ever present alpha pack. Derek continues after pausing, “the alpha pack came to see me today. They want me to kill you. All of you, my betas. And join them.” 

Erica gasped quietly, gripping Boyd harder, eyes flashing. She feels her scars twinge, even though she knows they’re healed. “I don’t want to just leave… but I can’t stay here. I’m only seventeen. There’s still so much I want to do.” 

Releasing Boyd, she gathers herself and stands. Carefully, she rests a hand on Derek’s arm. “I’m grateful for what you’ve done for me, you’ve given me a second chance on life. Twice, even.” Looking away, Derek gives a hard nod and leaves the train depot quietly. 

Giving a shuddering sigh, Erica gathers what stuff of hers she had collected and shoves it into a bag. Taking a deep breath Erica turns to face Boyd. Eyes filling with tears she clutches him tightly, whispering, “San Francisco. Are you sure you won’t come with me? I love you. I love this pack, I do. But I can’t stay here.” 

Gripping her back, Boyd nods. “It’s okay,” he says, “just come back. Come back when you can.”


End file.
